TEACHING ROMAN Release Day Blitz!

Teaching Roman by Gennifer Albin (Good Girls Don't #2)

BUY TEACHING ROMAN: Amazon

Jessica Stone has her life in perfect order until her perfectly boring boyfriend Brett puts things in perspective. So when she receives a call to action from her heartbroken best friend Cassie, she ditches her plans for Winter Break in gloomy Olympic Falls and sets off to Mexico for some fun in the sun.

Determined to use her oceanview to prep for her MCATS, she doesn't plan to run into anyone from Olympic State, least of all the cute communications prof she's been crushing on for a year. When he unexpectedly saves the day, the two are thrown together in a distinctly extracurricular activity.

Roman Markson doesn’t expect to run into anyone he knows from Olympic Falls while visiting his family in Puerto Vallarta, especially not a former student. Although Jess Stone has a way of catching men’s attention, a relationship with her is strictly off-limits. However, the rules feel less strict in Mexico, so they agree to a plan: one week in paradise and nothing more.

But avoiding each other back on campus is harder than they anticipated, especially when they can’t stay away from one another. Neither is sure what they have to learn—and lose—before life teaches them a lesson they’ll never forget.

About the Author

Gennifer Albin holds a Masters degree in English Literature from the University of Missouri. A recovering academic, she turned to writing her own books.  In her free time she sits on the National Novel Writing Month Advisory Board, laughs (and cries) with her mom writers group, and watches too much Doctor Who (if that's possible). Gennifer lives in Poulsbo Washington with her family.

Website | Facebook Fan Page | Twitter | Goodreads

This post was brought to you by Inkslinger PR ^^

REVIEW: Better When He's Bad by Jay Crownover

Better When He's Bad by Jay Crownover (Welcome to the Point #1)
Publisher: William Morrow
Publication Date: June 17, 2014
Source: Edelweiss
Rating: 4/5 stars
Get it: Amazon | B&N

Welcome to the Point

There’s a difference between a bad boy and a boy who’s bad . . . meet Shane Baxter.

Sexy, dark, and dangerous, Bax isn’t just from the wrong side of the tracks, he is the wrong side of the tracks. A criminal, a thug, and a brawler, he’s the master of bad choices, until one such choice landed him in prison for five years. Now Bax is out and looking for answers, and he doesn’t care what he has to do or who he has to hurt to get them. But there’s a new player in the game, and she’s much too innocent, much too soft…and standing directly in his way.

Dovie Pryce knows all about living a hard life and the tough choices that come with it. She’s always tried to be good, tried to help others, and tried not to let the darkness pull her down. But the streets are fighting back, things have gone from bad to worse, and the only person who can help her is the scariest, sexiest, most complicated ex-con The Point has ever produced.

Bax terrifies her, but it doesn’t take Dovie long to realize that some boys are just better when they’re bad.

My Review

I was so excited to read Jay Crownover’s new book that wasn’t already a part of the Marked Men series that I’ve become so obsessed. I had a feeling that Better When He's Bad would be something fresh with a lot of edge and I was sold by the sound of such a bad guy, not a bad boy, like Bax. 

And let me tell you all about Bax. He was a criminal, a thief, and a thug. His reputation certainly preceded him. He could be tough, he could be rough and most definitely he was cold and ruthless. He had a map of scars all over his body, he wore a hard glare with his emotionless dark eyes like a mask, and had a star tattoo right next to his eye that made him unforgettable in every sense of the word. He loved fast, beautiful cars and the same went for the women he took to bed. He wasn’t the type of person to back down from a fight and could be in your face and break it in a minute. Bax never pretended to be something he wasn’t and he never made himself out to be the good guy or even said he could be the good guy someday which was evident throughout the whole book. 

When Dovie came into the picture, Bax was still Bax. They didn’t have some lovey romance. Sometimes Bax just straight up manhandled and barked at Dovie. However, we do get little tiny glimpses of someone who could be compassionate. This was shown by the little things that Bax did for her: held her while she slept, brush her hair away from her face, buy her clothes, and protect her when need be. This was what made him salvageable. Dovie was a tough little cookie and survived as best as she could too, but in the work-your-ass-off-on-the-right-side-of-the-law type of way. She was scared shitless by Bax, but she saw something in him that was wedged deep in there, someone within Bax she knew of as Shane. And what I truly appreciated about Dovie was her ability to accept Bax for who he was. She didn’t make him change or didn’t try to fix him either.

I rated this book down a star because most of the focus shifted to Dovie and Bax’s “romance” for a lack of a better term. Not saying that I didn’t enjoy those after the dark on the counter top sexy times, because let’s face it, this is me we’re talking about and I enjoyed them a lot. However, when I was in Dovie’s head, I wanted to be in Bax’s because I thought that’s where all the action was going to be.  A lot of the answers Bax was looking for just got told instead of shown if that makes sense at all. I’m not sure if it was the plot itself or maybe the pacing that made it seem like the information was just tossed at once. But I really loved this book because I was so darn invested into the story. I wanted to know what went down that night Bax got arrested. I wanted to know what the deal was with Dovie and her brother Race and why on earth Novak wanted Bax so much. When we do get answers, things pick up and several revelations come out; some I expected and others that threw me for a loop. I was also shocked by the extent of what Bax would do during the whole shebang and it was well worth the bumpy ride. 

The best thing about this book besides Bax, of course, was how Crownover allowed readers to conjure up our own view of the Point and the Hill and all the dirty stuff in between. She made us feel that this neighborhood does indeed exist and that people do live this way and that there is not a shortage of danger, action, guns, strip clubs, dirty fights, money laundering, blackmail and jail time when you’re in this type of neighborhood, living this type of life that Bax continues to live in. She brought this world to life so easily and I would be lying if I wasn’t stoked to read more in this series.

REVIEW: Take Me On by Katie McGarry

Take Me On by Katie McGarry (Pushing the Limits #4)
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication Date: May 27, 2014
Source: Netgalley
Rating: 5/5 stars
Get it: Amazon | B&N

Acclaimed author Katie McGarry returns with the knockout new story of two high school seniors who are about to learn what winning really means.

Champion kickboxer Haley swore she'd never set foot in the ring again after one tragic night. But then the guy she can't stop thinking about accepts a mixed martial arts fight in her honor. Suddenly, Haley has to train West Young. All attitude, West is everything Haley promised herself she'd stay away from. Yet he won't last five seconds in the ring without her help.

West is keeping a big secret from Haley. About who he really is. But helping her-fighting for her-is a shot at redemption. Especially since it's his fault his family is falling apart. He can't change the past, but maybe he can change Haley's future.

Hayley and West have agreed to keep their relationship strictly in the ring. But as an unexpected bond forms between them and attraction mocks their best intentions, they'll face their darkest fears and discover love is worth fighting for.

My Review

Take Me On has come extremely close to topping Pushing the Limits for me. There was just something powerful and heart wrenching when it came to Haley and West’s story that nearly gave me as much emotion that I got from Noah and Echo. Katie McGarry just continues to dominate with her fantastic stories!

The Characters


West was impulsive, prideful, and had a temper that needed to be reined in. He had a strained relationship with his father and felt immense guilt for Rachel’s accident. Haley was strong, fierce, and self-sacrificing. She too felt extreme guilt for her family and bottled up many problems and emotions that she needed help with.What I loved about these two were how opposite they were of each other on the outside, but so alike in the inside. Haley wasn’t as privileged as West was, but both seem to carry the weight of the world, both love their families to death, and both would do anything to protect them. I ached for Haley because of all the things her family lost, her living arrangement, the horror she went through and the fear that continued to haunt her. I loved West for being so protective, for wanting to help Haley, for realizing how lucky he was and how much he needed to change and be a man.

The Romance


This book really does deal with the touch stuff and personal issues. It wasn’t always happy go lucky times between West and Haley. They had to keep working at it. What I loved about what McGarry did with their relationship was allowed them to do stuff not for the other person, but for themselves alone. There was give and take and there wasn’t a clear set happy ending. The future was still unknown and I liked that for Haley and West because their journey to each other wasn’t easy at all. I also really enjoyed the training that went with West and Haley’s story. I liked how fighting became their symbol, but in a good way. Fighting was what kind of broke them individually, but it also fixed them and led them to one another. It was nice to see how the training and the kickboxing played a significant role in their relationship. 

The Plot, Conflict and Setting


The book takes place in a “not so good” neighborhood. There’s drugs, drug dealers, drug users, people getting jumped, fighting, etc. It wasn’t picture perfect and it suited how difficult it was for Haley and West to be together. The book mostly centered on fighting, especially between Haley’s family and of her ex boyfriend’s family and gym. It also focused on using the sport of fighting for the good versus the bad. There was definitely some heavy stuff well worth mentioning such as homelessness, verbal abuse, physical abuse, and dysfunctional families. But opposite that, McGarry celebrated familial love and the depth in which such bonds reach and also the love felt between West and Haley. There were also plenty of surprises and revelations that should rock the boat and keep readers totally mind boggled.

All in all, I thought Take Me On was wonderfully written. McGarry really brought forth the intensity and whirlwind moments full of heartbreak of different varieties. She left a message to never give up and to push through the demons bringing you down. She displayed the importance of family and the ability to discover what makes you truly happy.


*Thanks to Harlequin Teen for sending a copy in exchange for an honest review

REVIEW: Winning the Boss's Heart by Hayson Manning

Winning the Boss's Heart by Hayson Manning
Publisher: Entangled Indulgence
Publication Date: September 9, 2013
Rating: 4/5 stars
Get it: Amazon | B&N

Mason Christian has twelve weeks to flip something old into something new for his Japanese client, and then he’s getting the hell out of Footsteps Bay, New Zealand. Not even his temporary cook and secretary—the feisty, luscious Billie McLeod—will deter him. There’s no denying she makes him feel alive. More alive than he’s felt in three years...

Billie has one dream: save enough money to go to college. That’s why she’s agreed to work for hard ass, all-business-no-pleasure Mason Christian—a man who has every intention of destroying through "modernization" the town’s most cherished historical home. But before she can say see ya, she realizes she’s signed the dotted line and is contractually bound for eighty-four days.  Working with male perfection every day is awesome with a capital A—as long as they can stick to a hands-off policy that gets harder every day...

My Review

I didn’t think I would absolutely, positively dig this book so much as I do! What Hayson Manning created in Winning the Boss’s Heart was such a gem. I was so swept away by the characters and the quickness of the book and just the homey feel that was weaved in. 


I thought I wouldn’t like Mason at all because he was just so demanding and cold and closed off. He even had the audacity to call his assistants by numbers instead of their names and expects them to work long ass hours. I kind of wanted to hit him upside his head and ask him what his deal was. But oh, the pain that he showed and the bottled up guilt softened my heart for him and I completely get why he was the way he was. After such a tragic loss and how he continued to blame himself, I could see why he thought the perfection he once had was all he ever would have. He totally drowned himself in work and became so walled in. I wanted to open his eyes and his heart and just make him see that there was so much out there. 

And I think Billie does the job. Here was this quirky woman who had big dreams of going back to culinary school, who had a strange but cute dog, who never stopped talking, who made every area like it was well lived in, and someone who totally challenge Mason. And that is why I loved Billie from the very start. She had more character and personality for her and Mason and everyone around. She was silly and sometimes spoke without her brain and mouth communicating and she wasn’t afraid to just banter right off with Mason. Billie was a person with so much energy and life, she was the light that Mason so desperately needed. 

These two were always at each other’s throats, but I loved them because they were exactly what the other needed. It was obvious from the start that their professional relationship would be different because of Billie’s extraordinary personality. She got under his skin and he had no choice but to let her in. Those little glimpses of him feeling something for her were the best parts for me. I especially loved the easy banter between them though most the time Mason would get angry or frustrated it was still so entertaining and made me laugh out loud. I was surprised by the amount of humor, the affection and even the hurt that both characters had or felt. For me, it was the characters that gave this book that comfort easy to read feeling and I’m so glad I picked it up!